Glitch

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: End of the Line

I came to several hours later, my head resting in my folded arms. I blinked blearily in the bright lights as I raised my head. I was sitting in a simple square room with pale yellow walls and a low white ceiling. The floor was covered in a maroon rug with yellow patters running across it. I was sitting in a well padded leather chair pulled up to a metal table. Across from me sat a second chair and beyond it was a heavy metal door.

I started to stand only to find my feet had been chained to the chair legs and my hands to ridges in the table. For a moment I stared blankly at them, then the memories of the past few hours came rushing back.

My vision cleared as I looked around frantically. My eyes fell on a camera hooked into the corner of the room to my right. I glared at it for a long moment until I heard a loud click.

The metal door slide to the side an a man walked in. My guess was he was in his sixties with a mess of gray hair and a long beard. A pair of wire spectacles balanced on the bridge of his long, narrow nose. He was a bit heavyset, dressed in a long white lab-coat and brown slacks. His blue eyes quickly scanned the clipboard in one hand and nervously tapped the pen to his leg.

"Joan Arc Kelsall. Age, fourteen. Date of birth, December thirty-first 2005." he looked up at me for clarification.

"Wonderful, you did some research. Are you trying to scare me?" I asked, hoping I sounded braver then I felt.

"I take that as a yes." He pulled out the empty chair and sat down. "I was hoping we wouldn't meet, but you are here and that can't be helped." he sighed. "Your probably feeling tired from that tranquilizer. Don't worry, the affects will wear away quickly. More importantly, how did you survive?" he suddenly growled, leaning over the table to glare at me.

I stared blankly at him. Survive? What was he talking about. Did he mean the different disasters? "Who are you?" I asked distrustfully.

"I'm professor Riess, leader of this facility. Now, I repeat, how did you survive? Was it him? Was it Timekeeper?"

A look of shock passed my face before I covered it.

He noticed it and leaned back. "That fool, messing around in our business. He just couldn't let things rest and let us kill you." he growled angerly

I jerked back. "Kill me? What? Why? How-" I felt fear tingle down my entire body and I tugged the chains futilely.

"You hold a second identity, Joan... or should I call you the Time Child?" when he was my expression his anger vanished to be replaced by surprise.

"You didn't know? Odd, I was sure you would be aware of your role, it appears I was too quick to assume. Oh well, can't be helped." He stood up and walked over to the door. He rapped on it twice. "Guard!" he called.

The door slid open and one of the security guards from earlier stepped in.